Growing up, I was the worst when it came to listening to my parent's
'cliches'. I'd go without socks, leave my sweater at home, walk to the
bus with wet hair in the Winter, and leave the windows open all night.
It's not that I enjoyed being sick, though my mother treated me like a
princess when I was- I was just stubborn. I still do it, though there is
no one to hand deliver a Slurpee and Hubba Bubba to my bedside today.
Every (Southern California) Winter I'm caught off my feet for days with
colds I'm certain I achieve by sitting in from of the air conditioner
with dripping hair, or wandering around on cold mornings in flip flops.
It's not that I think I have an immune system of steel (quite the
opposite, really), it's simple laziness. Drying my hair takes time, I
can never find the second shoe, and Winter coats just aren't cute enough
to match my new blouse!

That being said, living in Southern California is not without it's own climate perils. At the end of every Fall, and through Winter, we have very dry and warm winds called the Santa Ana's. While these winds can surface any time of the year, it's the cooler portions which can pose the biggest threat to unsuspecting sinus' and people with weak immune systems. Just a few weeks back I remember turning to Jay and confessing I was concerned over the number of bloody noses I'd been experiencing that week. The air had gone from cold and humid to very dry and warm almost overnight. The poor blood vessels in my nose didn't know what to do, and I was left sore and puffy, reaching for nasal sprays.

It was around that time I decided to bust out the old Spongebob humidifier and tried to acclimate our home with a healthier humidity level. Spongebob really doesn't fit our living room, okay, any of our decor, and I never knew when enough was enough. Sometimes the unit would run all day with several tank fillings, because I was simply too afraid to turn it off. And with rapid weather changes, that was certainly not good! Then we discovered the Roolen Breath, one of the world's first commercially intelligent humidifiers. It was sleek and modern in design, and incredibly easy to operate. Our days of children's humidifiers were soon far behind us.

The Breath comes in design friendly black and white finishes, with a modern stylized design that hardly looks like a humidifier at all. Inside it houses a, small but efficient, 3.15L tank specialized for purified water. Simply press the release latch on the back, base, and lift the top tank up. Flip the tank over and unscrew the fill valve to pour filtered water into the tank. While the device will work with tap/unfiltered water, Roolen (the manufacturer) highly suggests filtered water which will reduce the need for weekly cleanings. Once the reservoir is full, replace the cap and snap the top back onto the base. Plug the unit in via the AC adapter and choose one of the 3 modes of operation; low, high, or auto. The indicator light on the front of the unit, below the power button, will inform the user of the operation mode, and even a low tank. Because the indicator light is the only notification of operation, this humidifier is the perfect subtle addition to your home or office for climate control.

There are two extraordinary features of the Breath Jay and I both found especially valuable. To begin, this humidifier is quiet. Even on the 'high' operation setting I cannot detect the fan or misting among ambient noise at night. And that's saying a lot since it sits inches away from Jay's head on the night-stand! But what the Breath is most remarkable for, perhaps, is it's intelligent design that can actually sense the moisture of the surrounding atmosphere and adjust it's operation accordingly. On 'Auto' the Breath will monitor the air throughout the day and turn itself on or off as needed to reach a desired humidity level. This means the air is never too dry, nor too saturated; keeping the optimal humidity level all year round, for good health. This Auto mode also helps cut down on the number of times the tank needs to be filled, and can run days on Auto without emptying the tank, or 24 hours on continual low.

Currently the Breath model is only set to monitor and control a 400sq' area; which makes it best suitable for a bedroom or office, and not quite the average living room. I would love to see a higher capacity model with the ability to treat a larger space down the line, but can't fault Roolen for this. The Breath actually efficiently treats a larger area than the average humidifier as it is. And, because of the auto function, this humidifier can actually be quite energy efficient as well. I no longer have a reason to neglect my respiratory system with dry Southern California air- Breath has been a much needed, and welcome addition to our home!

What Daughter Says: Don't just treat your air when you're sick, maintain a healthy humidity all year round with an intelligent humidifier.

One Momma Told Me follower will win a Breath smart humidifier by Roolen!

I learned that this Roolen Breath is available in white of black and I like that it automatically adjusts to humidity levels best for surroundings, and it can run for up to 24 hours for continuous humidification, I think it is sleek looking and not big and clumsy looking

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